Leanne Lakey (born May 1978) is a British actress, known for playing

Belinda Peacock The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2001, by order of appearance. All characters were introduced by the show's executive producer, John Yorke. The first character to be introduced w ...

in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' and Charlotte Day in ''

Family Affairs ''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...

''.

Background

Lakey originally trained to be a dancer, and is accomplished at jazz, ballroom and ballet.BBC – EastEnders – Characters & Cast – Leanne Lakey
Retrieved 14 July 2009. She used to play

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

for

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, and considered playing for England. Lakey studied Dance at the Essex Dance Theatre and went on to train at

Arts Educational Schools Arts Educational Schools, or ArtsEd, is an independent performing arts school based in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow. Overview ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further and higher education level in musi ...

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...

.Mandy profile
Retrieved 3 March 2019

Career

Lakey's first professional acting role was a cameo in the

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

''The Last Musketeer''. During 2002 she appeared in both ''

'' and ''

'' at the same time, becoming one of the first actors to do so.Leanne Lakey – Biography
Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 14 July 2009. Discussing the experience, she said:

"I find I'm under more pressure at ''Family Affairs'', as it's regular. The work schedule at ''FA'' is very hard. I'm up at 4.30 every morning and I'm lucky to get home before 9 or 10pm so it's difficult...the main difference is celebrities and fame. On ''EE'' they're all household names and they all have their own problems, but the actors on ''Family Affairs'' aren't as well known. ''EE'' is like a holiday, I get to catch up with everybody which is great. It's very relaxed, whereas ''Family Affairs'', the schedule is so tight it's too quick."

Lakey has also appeared in episodes of '' Ashes to Ashes'', ''

New Tricks ''New Tricks'' is a British television police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the ...

'', ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' and ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

''. In January 2016, actress (

Carli Norris Carli Jo Norris (born 23 June 1974) is an English actress, known for her roles as Anoushka Flynn in ''Doctors (2000 TV series), Doctors'', Martha Kane in ''Hollyoaks'' and taking over the role of Belinda Peacock in ''EastEnders''. Career In Ju ...

) became the second actress to play

, replacing Lakey.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lakey, Leanne Actors from Chelmsford People educated at the Arts Educational Schools English soap opera actresses English television actresses 1979 births Living people